The links between alcohol, crime and the criminal justice system: explanations, evidence and interventions

Changes in Restless Sleep, Self-Control, and Alcohol-Related Problems with Police from Late Adolescence to Adulthood

Sleep quality is crucial for healthy adolescent brain development, which has downstream effects on self-control and involvement in risky behaviors, such as alcohol use. While previous studies have found that sleep and facets of self-control are associated with patterns of alcohol use, few have assessed whether these constructs are tied to alcohol-related problems with law enforcement during the transitional period from adolescence to adulthood. The current study uses self-report panel data from ages 16 to 27 from a population-based sample of U.S. youth (N = 956; 36.86% female). The goal of the current study is to assess the association between changes in restless sleep, impulsivity, sensation seeking, and problems with police during or shortly after consuming alcohol from adolescence to adulthood to begin to address this gap in the existing literature. Results from a multivariate latent growth curve model reveal that faster increases in restless sleep and slower declines in impulsivity are associated with slower declines in police contact. Correlated changes between restless sleep, impulsivity, and police contact are slightly greater from ages 16-21 than for ages 22-27, with males showing stronger associations. The reported results suggest that identifying developmental mechanisms between changes in poor sleep, impulsivity, and alcohol use behaviors during this life-course phase will be crucial moving forward to help divert youth away from alcohol-related contact with the police.

Alcohol and morality: one alcoholic drink is enough to make people declare to harm others and behave impurely

We aimed to understand if alcohol intoxication affects the willingness to violate moral foundations (care, fairness, authority, loyalty, and purity). We conducted a laboratory study (N = 387) with three randomized groups: alcohol intoxication, placebo, and control, measuring the sacralization of moral foundations via the Moral Foundations Sacredness Scale. The study showed intoxicated participants sacralized moral foundations of care and purity more often than participants from control and placebo groups. It means participants declared more willing to physically harm other people and animals and behave impurely, e.g., doing deviant sexual behaviors or selling their souls. No differences related to fairness, authority, and loyalty were found. Our study helps to understand the decision processes underlying immoral behaviors, including crimes. We showed that even one drink makes people change their judgments about what is right and wrong (in the cases of harmful and impure behaviors), and because this kind of judgment precedes immoral behaviors, our results may help explain why some people under the influence of alcohol break the rules by doing things which they would never do when sober.

Closing the treatment gap for alcohol use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

The alcohol-attributable disease burden is greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as compared to high-income countries. Despite the effectiveness of interventions such as health promotion and education, brief interventions, psychological treatments, family-focused interventions, and biomedical treatments, access to evidence-based care for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in LMICs is limited. This can be explained by poor access to general health and mental health care, limited availability of relevant clinical skills among health care providers, lack of political will and/or financial resources, historical stigma and discrimination against people with AUDs, and poor planning and implementation of policies. Access to care for AUDs in LMICs could be improved through evidence-based strategies such as designing innovative, local and culturally acceptable solutions, health system strengthening by adopting a collaborative stepped care approach, horizontal integration of care into existing models of care (e.g., HIV care), task sharing to optimise limited human resources, working with families of individuals with AUD, and leveraging technology-enabled interventions. Moving ahead, research, policy and practice in LMICs need to focus on evidence-based decision-making, responsiveness to context and culture, working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to design and implement interventions, identifying upstream social determinants of AUDs, developing and evaluating policy interventions such as increased taxation on alcohol, and developing services for special populations (e.g., adolescents) with AUDs.

Hazy memories in the courtroom: A review of alcohol and other drug effects on false memory and suggestibility

Alcohol and other psychoactive drugs are oftentimes implicated in legal cases. A pertinent question herein is whether such substances might adversely affect testimonies of victims, eyewitnesses, or suspects by propelling the formation of false memory and increasing susceptibility to suggestion. In the current review, we amassed all available evidence on the effects of intoxication on false memory formation and suggestibility, including the substances alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens, and antipsychotics. Our review indicated that alcohol and cannabis under certain conditions increased the susceptibility to false memories and/or suggestion with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. When intoxicated during an event, alcohol is most likely to increase this susceptibility at high intoxication levels or after a delay, whereas cannabis exerts detrimental effects during acute intoxication but not necessarily once sober. For other substances, ecologically valid research separating different memory phases is needed. Overall, differences between substances regarding false memory effects exist, suggesting that a nuanced approach is needed when dealing with intoxicated individuals in a legal context.

Assessing the impacts of Saskatchewan's minimum alcohol pricing regulations on alcohol-related crime

INTRODUCTION

Saskatchewan's introduction in April 2010 of minimum prices graded by alcohol strength led to an average minimum price increase of 9.1% per Canadian standard drink (=13.45 g ethanol). This increase was shown to be associated with reduced consumption and switching to lower alcohol content beverages. Police also informally reported marked reductions in night-time alcohol-related crime.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the impacts of changes to Saskatchewan's minimum alcohol-pricing regulations between 2008 and 2012 on selected crime events often related to alcohol use.

METHODS

Data were obtained from Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Auto-regressive integrated moving average time series models were used to test immediate and lagged associations between minimum price increases and rates of night-time and police identified alcohol-related crimes. Controls were included for simultaneous crime rates in the neighbouring province of Alberta, economic variables, linear trend, seasonality and autoregressive and/or moving-average effects.

RESULTS

The introduction of increased minimum-alcohol prices was associated with an abrupt decrease in night-time alcohol-related traffic offences for men (-8.0%, P < 0.001), but not women. No significant immediate changes were observed for non-alcohol-related driving offences, disorderly conduct or violence. Significant monthly lagged effects were observed for violent offences (-19.7% at month 4 to -18.2% at month 6), which broadly corresponded to lagged effects in on-premise alcohol sales.

DISCUSSION

Increased minimum alcohol prices may contribute to reductions in alcohol-related traffic-related and violent crimes perpetrated by men. Observed lagged effects for violent incidents may be due to a delay in bars passing on increased prices to their customers, perhaps because of inventory stockpiling. [Stockwell T, Zhao J, Sherk A, Callaghan RC, Macdonald S, Gatley J. Assessing the impacts of Saskatchewan's minimum alcohol pricing regulations on alcohol-related crime. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:492-501].

The Connection Between Thwarted Belongingness, Alcohol Consumption, Suicidal, and Homicidal Ideation in a Criminal Justice Sample

BACKGROUND

To determine if thwarted belongingness in combination with frequent alcohol use increased suicidal and homicidal ideation when known predictors were controlled for (eg, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, drug use, race, sex, age, and employment status).

METHOD

This study utilized an archival database. Participants were 574 individuals at an outpatient substance abuse treatment facility who were under community corrections supervision. The average age was 34.5 (SD = 10.9) years; there were 371 (64.6%) men and 287 (50.0%) Black participants. Data were originally gathered from face-to-face interviews with the participants by their case manager or an intake specialist when they entered treatment. Self-reported suicidal and homicidal ideation was used as a dependent variable in unadjusted and adjusted binary logistic regressions to determine the influence of thwarted belongingness and frequent alcohol use.

RESULTS

Thwarted belongingness alone (ie, without frequent alcohol use) was associated with risk for suicidal ideation, and was approaching significance for homicidal ideation. The combination of thwarted belongingness and frequent alcohol use was associated with the greatest risk for suicidal and homicidal ideation. Cocaine use and employment status were also identified as significant predictors for suicidal and homicidal ideation in the fully adjusted models.

CONCLUSIONS

Thwarted belongingness in combination with frequent alcohol use seems to have a large and meaningful relationship with both suicidal and homicidal ideation. Additional research is needed to better understand the relationship between alcohol, thwarted belongingness, and outcomes such as suicide and homicide.

Police custody health care: a review of health morbidity, models of care and innovations within police custody in the UK, with international comparisons

This paper is a scoping review of the available evidence regarding health care issues in police custody. It describes the types and prevalence of health disorders encountered in custody and provides an overview of current practice and recent innovations in police custody health care. In contrast to the health of prisoners, the health of police custody detainees has, until recently, received little academic or clinical attention. Studies on health care in police custody identified for this review are limited to a few geographical jurisdictions, including the UK, continental Europe, North America, and Australia. There are significant health concerns among police detainees including acute injury, chronic physical health problems, mental and cognitive disorders, and the risks associated with drug and alcohol intoxication or withdrawal. There is some evidence that deaths in police custody have reduced where attention has been paid to the latter issue. Police personnel continue to experience difficulties identifying detainees with health issues relevant to their safe detention, but research shows that the use of evidence-based screening tools improves detection of such morbidities. Innovations in police custody health care mainly relate to detainees with mental disorders, including improved identification of illness, timely access to mental health services, the protection of the rights of mentally disordered detainees, and the diversion of mentally disordered persons from the criminal justice system into appropriate health and social care interventions. There is a lack of rigorous research relating to interventions for physical health problems, protecting those at risk of substance withdrawal, and detainees with preexisting or peri-arrest injures. Research to improve the health of police custody detainees requires greater priority, focusing on case identification and service redesign to address high levels of morbidity and to facilitate health promotion and prevention activities.

Trends in Alcohol use, Cocaine use, and Crime: 1989–1998

The widespread belief that illicit drugs are closely associated with crime has contributed to America's “War on Drugs” and attendant increases in arrests, convictions, and prison populations. However, the links between alcohol and crime have received less attention from policy makers and the public despite consistent evidence that alcohol is more likely than other drugs to be associated with violence. This study explores the relationship between alcohol and cocaine use and crime from 1989–1998, based on findings from the Drug Use Forecasting/Arrestee Drug and Alcohol Monitoring Program and the Uniform Crime Reports Program. We examine correlations among cocaine use, alcohol use, property crime, and violent crime at the city level to determine if there is a consistent pattern across cities over time. The analyses show a wide variation across cities in the links between both alcohol and cocaine use and violent and property crime rates over the 10-year period. However, the association between the annual rates of alcohol use and violent crime is stronger than that of alcohol use and property crime. These associations for alcohol remain in multivariate analyses, including statistical controls for temporal autocorrelation, SES, and heroin use. Cocaine use, in contrast, is not closely associated with either property or violent crime rates in the multivariate analyses. The findings suggest that to reduce violent crime rates, policy makers need to focus on addressing the contribution of alcohol. Furthermore, given the variation found across sites, efforts to reduce the drug/alcohol-crime links need to be tailored to local patterns and problems.

Testing the "Sexually Abused-Abuser Hypothesis" in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

A long-standing belief in the literature on sex offenders is that sexually victimized youths are at increased risk of becoming sex offenders themselves. The present study tested the link between past sexual abuse, either with or without contact, and sexually offending behavior in a representative sample of male and female adolescents while controlling for other types of abuse, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behaviors. Self-reported data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 6,628 students attending 9th grade public school in Switzerland (3,434 males, 3,194 females, mean age = 15.50 years, SD = 0.66 years). Exposure to contact and non-contact types of sexual abuse was assessed using the Child Sexual Abuse Questionnaire and sexually offending behavior by the presence of any of three behaviors indicating sexual coercion. Two-hundred-forty-five males (7.1 %) and 40 females (1.2 %) reported having sexually coerced another person. After controlling for non-sexual abuse, low parent education, urban versus rural living, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behavior, male adolescents who were victims of contact sexual abuse and non-contact sexual abuse were significantly more likely to report coercive sexual behaviors. Females who experienced contact or non-contact sexual abuse were also found at increased risk of committing sexual coercion after controlling for covariates. The present findings demonstrate a strong relationship between past sexual abuse, with and without physical contact, and sexual-offending behavior in male and female adolescents. Reducing exposure to non-contact sexual abuse (like Internet-based sexual exploitation) should become a new area of sexual violence prevention in youths.

Diagnosed alcohol dependence and criminal sentencing among British Columbian Aboriginal offenders

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol use is commonly reported as a short-term criminal risk factor; however there is minimal research on the effects of alcohol dependence on crime. Canadian Aboriginal offenders exhibit both disproportionate crime and alcohol disorder prevalence. This study aims to examine the impact of diagnosed alcohol dependence on Aboriginal ethnicity and criminal sentencing in British Columbia.

METHODS

We used an administrative linkage database of social, health and justice system variables to develop a retrospective cohort of 70,035 offenders sentenced through courts in British Columbia from 2001-2010. We used a coefficient difference mediation analysis to evaluate the mediating effect of alcohol dependence on the association between self-reported Aboriginal status and sentencing rate.

RESULTS

Aboriginal offenders had 1.92 (95% C.I.: 1.79,2.06) times higher odds of alcohol dependence than Caucasian offenders. Adjustment for health, social and demographic factors resulted in a 27% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 15%, 33%) reduction in the association of Aboriginal ethnicity on sentencing. Adjustment for alcohol dependence resulted in only a further reduction of 2% (95% CI: -12%, 15%). Although alcohol dependence was associated both with Aboriginal ethnicity and sentencing, it did not have a significant mediating impact on sentencing rate.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol dependence was not a mediator for the relationship between sentencing rate and Aboriginal ethnicity. However, due to the proportion of offenders diagnosed with alcohol dependence, these results support alcohol misuse as an important public health policy target in this population.

Neural correlates of impulsive aggressive behavior in subjects with a history of alcohol dependence

Alcohol-related aggression is a complex and problematic phenomenon with profound public health consequences. We examined neural correlates potentially moderating the relationship between human aggressive behavior and chronic alcohol use. Thirteen subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for past alcohol-dependence in remission (AD) and 13 matched healthy controls (CONT) participated in an fMRI study adapted from a laboratory model of human aggressive behavior (Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm, or PSAP). Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation was measured during bouts of operationally defined aggressive behavior, during postprovocation periods, and during monetary-reinforced behavior. Whole brain voxelwise random-effects analyses found group differences in brain regions relevant to chronic alcohol use and aggressive behavior (e.g., emotional and behavioral control). Behaviorally, AD subjects responded on both the aggressive response and monetary response options at significantly higher rates than CONT. Whole brain voxelwise random-effects analyses revealed significant group differences in response to provocation (monetary subtractions), with CONT subjects showing greater activation in frontal and prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus. Collapsing data across all subjects, regression analyses of postprovocation brain activation on aggressive response rate revealed significant positive regression slopes in precentral gyrus and parietal cortex; and significant negative regression slopes in orbitofrontal cortex, prefrontal cortex, caudate, thalamus, and middle temporal gyrus. In these collapsed analyses, response to provocation and aggressive behavior were associated with activation in brain regions subserving inhibitory and emotional control, sensorimotor integration, and goal directed motor activity.

State and local law enforcement agency efforts to prevent sales to obviously intoxicated patrons

Alcohol sales to intoxicated patrons are illegal and may lead to public health issues such as traffic crashes and violence. Over the past several decades, considerable effort has been made to reduce alcohol sales to underage persons but less attention has been given to the issue of sales to obviously intoxicated patrons. Studies have found a high likelihood of sales to obviously intoxicated patrons (i.e., overservice), but little is known about efforts by enforcement agencies to reduce these sales. We conducted a survey of statewide alcohol enforcement agencies and local law enforcement agencies across the US to assess their strategies for enforcing laws prohibiting alcohol sales to intoxicated patrons at licensed alcohol establishments. We randomly sampled 1,631 local agencies (1,082 participated), and surveyed all 49 statewide agencies that conduct alcohol enforcement. Sales to obviously intoxicated patrons were reported to be somewhat or very common in their jurisdiction by 55 % of local agencies and 90 % of state agencies. Twenty percent of local and 60 % of state agencies reported conducting enforcement efforts to reduce sales to obviously intoxicated patrons in the past year. Among these agencies, fewer than half used specific enforcement strategies on at least a monthly basis to prevent overservice of alcohol. Among local agencies, enforcement efforts were more common among agencies that had a full-time officer specifically assigned to carry out alcohol enforcement efforts. Enforcement of laws prohibiting alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons is an underutilized strategy to reduce alcohol-related problems, especially among local law enforcement agencies.

Problem coping skills, psychosocial adversities and mental health problems in children and adolescents as predictors of criminal outcomes in young adulthood

The purpose of this study was to test child and adolescent psychosocial and psychopathological risk factors as predictors of adult criminal outcomes in a Swiss community sample. In particular, the role of active and avoidant problem coping in youths was analysed. Prevalence rates of young adult crime convictions based on register data were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyse the prediction of adult criminal convictions 15 years after assessment in a large Swiss community sample of children and adolescents (n = 1,086). Risk factors assessed in childhood and adolescence included socio-economic status (SES), migration background, perceived parental behaviour, familial and other social stressors, coping styles, externalizing and internalizing problems and drug abuse including problematic alcohol consumption. The rate of any young adult conviction was 10.1 %. Besides externalizing problems and problematic alcohol consumption, the presence of any criminal conviction in young adulthood was predicted by low SES and avoidant coping even after controlling for the effects of externalizing problems and problematic alcohol use. The other predictors were significant only when externalizing behaviours and problematic alcohol use were not controlled. In addition to child and adolescent externalizing behaviour problems and substance use, low SES and inadequate problem-solving skills, in terms of avoidant coping, are major risk factors of young adult criminal outcomes and need to be considered in forensic research and criminal prevention programs.

Criminal justice outcomes after engagement in outpatient substance abuse treatment

The relationship between engagement in outpatient treatment facilities in the public sector and subsequent arrest is examined for clients in Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma and Washington. Engagement is defined as receiving another treatment service within 14 days of beginning a new episode of specialty treatment and at least two additional services within the next 30 days. Data are from 2008 and survival analysis modeling is used. Survival analyses express the effects of model covariates in terms of "hazard ratios," which reflect a change in the likelihood of outcome because of the covariate. Engaged clients had a significantly lower hazard of any arrest than non-engaged in all four states. In NY and OK, engaged clients also had a lower hazard of arrest for substance-related crimes. In CT, NY, and OK engaged clients had a lower hazard of arrest for violent crime. Clients in facilities with higher engagement rates had a lower hazard of any arrest in NY and OK. Engaging clients in outpatient treatment is a promising approach to decrease their subsequent criminal justice involvement.

Alcohol misuse and criminal offending: findings from a 30-year longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

This study examined the associations between measures of alcohol abuse/dependence (AAD) and several classifications of offending behaviour to age 30 in a New Zealand birth cohort.

METHODS

Outcomes included: assault; use of a weapon; theft/burglary/vehicle conversion; property damage/vandalism/arson; and fraud/embezzlement/misappropriation of funds. The study also used measures of AAD symptoms; and time-dynamic covariate factors including life stress, other substance use, mental health status, peer and partner substance use and offending, and unemployment. Data were analysed using conditional fixed effects regression modelling augmented by time-dynamic covariate factors to control for confounding.

RESULTS

Those with five or more AAD symptoms had unadjusted odds of offending that ranged from 6.23 to 21.25 times higher than those with no symptoms, with little evidence to suggest these associations varied with age. Adjustment for both unobserved fixed effects and time-dynamic covariate factors reduced the magnitude of the associations between AAD and offending, with those with five or more AAD symptoms having odds of offending that were 0.88-4.10 times higher than those with no symptoms. After adjustment, only the associations between AAD and: a) assault (OR=4.10; 95% CI=1.91-8.62; p<0.0001); and b) property damage/vandalism/arson (OR=3.87; 95% CI=1.30-11.39; p<0.0001); remained statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest a causal association between alcohol misuse and "impulsive" crimes such as assault and property damage/vandalism/arson, with estimates suggesting that AAD accounted for approximately 9.6-9.9% of these types of reported offending in the cohort.

Criminal justice and alcohol treatment: results from a national sample

This study investigates the associations of recent criminal justice involvement with perceived need for alcohol treatment and alcohol treatment utilization, adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. We examined a national sample of adults with alcohol use disorders (N=4390) from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Almost 15% reported criminal justice involvement in the past year. Generalized logit models regressed perceived need for alcohol or drug treatment and past year treatment utilization (versus neither) on past year legal involvement, demographic, and clinical information. In general, results found stronger associations between frequency of criminal justice involvement for treatment utilization compared to perceived need for treatment alone. Treatment utilization was also associated with being on probation, arrests for drug possession/sale and driving under the influence but perceived need was not. Study results suggest opportunities for interventions to increase treatment rates or treatment need, a major correlate of treatment utilization.

The association between density of alcohol establishments and violent crime within urban neighborhoods

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have found that areas with higher alcohol establishment density are more likely to have higher violent crime rates, but many of these studies did not assess the differential effects of type of establishments or the effects on multiple categories of crime. In this study, we assess whether alcohol establishment density is associated with 4 categories of violent crime and whether the strength of the associations varies by type of violent crime and by on-premise establishments (e.g., bars, restaurants) versus off-premise establishments (e.g., liquor and convenience stores).

METHODS

Data come from the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2009 and were aggregated and analyzed at the neighborhood level. Across the 83 neighborhoods in Minneapolis, we examined 4 categories of violent crime: assault, rape, robbery, and total violent crime. We used a Bayesian hierarchical inference approach to model the data, accounting for spatial auto-correlation and controlling for relevant neighborhood demographics. Models were estimated for total alcohol establishment density as well as separately for on-premise establishments and off-premise establishments.

RESULTS

Positive, statistically significant associations were observed for total alcohol establishment density and each of the violent crime outcomes. We estimate that a 3.9 to 4.3% increase across crime categories would result from a 20% increase in neighborhood establishment density. The associations between on-premise density and each of the individual violent crime outcomes were also all positive and significant and similar in strength as for total establishment density. The relationships between off-premise density and the crime outcomes were all positive but not significant for rape or total violent crime, and the strength of the associations was weaker than those for total and on-premise density.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study, combined with earlier findings, provide more evidence that community leaders should be cautious about increasing the density of alcohol establishments within their neighborhoods.

Alcohol advertising at Boston subway stations: an assessment of exposure by race and socioeconomic status

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the frequency of alcohol ads at all 113 subway and streetcar stations in Boston and the patterns of community exposure stratified by race, socioeconomic status, and age.

METHODS

We assessed the extent of alcohol advertising at each station in May 2009. We measured gross impressions and gross rating points (GRPs) for the entire Greater Boston population and for Boston public school student commuters. We compared the frequency of alcohol advertising between neighborhoods with differing demographics.

RESULTS

For the Greater Boston population, alcohol advertising at subway stations generated 109 GRPs on a typical day. For Boston public school students in grades 5 to 12, alcohol advertising at stations generated 134 GRPs. Advertising at stations in low-poverty neighborhoods generated 14.1 GRPs and at stations in high-poverty areas, 63.6 GRPs.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol ads reach the equivalent of every adult in the Greater Boston region and the equivalent of every 5th- to 12th-grade public school student each day. More alcohol ads were displayed in stations in neighborhoods with high poverty rates than in stations in neighborhoods with low poverty rates.

Neuropsychiatry of aggression

Aggression is a serious medical problem that can place both the patient and the health care provider at risk. Aggression can result from medical, neurologic, and/or psychiatric disorders. A comprehensive patient evaluation is needed. Treatment options include pharmacotherapy as well as nonpharmacologic interventions, both of which need to be individualized to the patient.

GABAergic modulation of human social interaction in a prisoner's dilemma model by acute administration of alprazolam

Recent work in neuroeconomics has used game theory paradigms to examine neural systems that subserve human social interaction and decision making. Attempts to modify social interaction through pharmacological manipulation have been less common. Here we show dose-dependent modification of human social behavior in a prisoner's dilemma model after acute administration of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A modulating benzodiazepine alprazolam. Nine healthy adults received doses of placebo, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg alprazolam in a counterbalanced within-subject design, while completing multiple test blocks per day on an iterated prisoner's dilemma game. During test blocks in which peak subjective effects of alprazolam were reported, cooperative choices were significantly decreased as a function of dose. Consistent with previous reports showing that high acute doses of GABA-modulating drugs are associated with violence and other antisocial behavior, our data suggest that at sufficiently high doses, alprazolam can decrease cooperation. These behavioral changes may be facilitated by changes in inhibitory control facilitated by GABA. Game theory paradigms may prove useful in behavioral pharmacology studies seeking to measure social interaction, and may help inform the emerging field of neuroeconomics.

Life-Course Pathways and the Psychosocial Adjustment of Young Adult Women

We examined seven life-course pathways from adolescence through the early adult years and their links with general health and psychosocial adjustment among 2,290 women from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Young women who followed a pathway involving college attendance to full-time employment with no family-formation transitions were functioning comparatively well with respect to general health, depression, and self-esteem. In contrast, young women who followed pathways involving early motherhood were functioning less well. Fixed-effects models suggested that the differences were due to selection factors. Young women who followed the pathway of college to full-time employment exhibited an increase in heavy drinking, whereas women who became married mothers exhibited a decrease in the same. Involvement in illegal behavior declined for all groups but least so for women who attended college.

Drug use and criminal activity among rural probationers with DUI histories

The present study examined whether ever being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) was associated with higher levels of substance use and criminal activity in a sample of 800 probationers. Lifetime and 30-day histories of substance use and criminal activity were compared across three groups of probationers from rural Kentucky: those with a single DUI arrest, those with two or more DUI arrests, and those with no DUI arrests. A larger percentage of probationers with a DUI arrest reported lifetime and 30-day substance use than non-DUI offenders in almost all drug and alcohol categories. Higher prevalence of criminal activity was limited primarily to the multiple DUI arrest group. Findings add to the literature on rural substance abusers and indicate that DUI may be used as a marker to help identify opportunities for targeted substance abuse interventions.

[Characteristics of alcohol-dependent male inmates]

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to compare social and penal characteristics and consumption of psychoactive substances by alcohol-dependent and non-dependent inmates of the Lyon's prison in 2004.

METHODS

The study was carried out among 2033 male adults incarcerated between January 1st and December 31st 2004. An administered questionnaire was proposed during the arrival visit to record social, administrative and penal data. Use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs was quantified.

RESULTS

In all, 1898 questionnaires were analysed. Comparison between alcohol-dependent (n=356) versus non alcohol-dependent inmates (n=1542), revealed that the alcohol-dependent population was older, mean age (34 years old versus 30 years, p<0.001), and had a higher unemployment rate (50% versus 39.4%, p<0.001). Alcohol addicts were more often repeated offenders (62% versus 50.7%, p=0.001), had a higher rate of Subutex mixture (11% versus 3.2%, p<0.001) and presented more psychic suffering (21% versus 6%, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis identified use of psychotop drugs, use of psychoactive substances, age and familial situation as significantly and independently associated with the abusise alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSION

Because of an elevated prevalence of alcohol dependence among arriving penitentiary inmates, effective screening is needed to prevent withdrawal syndrome and propose care adapted to the specific features of this dependent population: social insecurity and polydrug abuse.

Police-registered offenses and psychiatric disorders among young males : the Finnish "From a boy to a man" birth cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To study associations between crime and psychiatric disorders among adolescent males in a representative population-based cohort study.

METHOD

The sample includes 2,712 Finnish boys born in 1981. Information on criminality consists of offenses registered in the Finnish National Police Register 1998-2001. Crime was classified according to frequency and type (drug, violent, property, traffic, and drunk driving offenses). Information on psychiatric diagnoses between 1999 and 2004 was collected from the Finnish National Military Register.

RESULTS

Of the 2,712 boys, 22% had a crime registration during the 4-year period, and 10% had at least one psychiatric disorder according to the Military Register. Those with psychiatric disorders accounted for 49% of all crimes. Of those with more than five crimes (n = 98), 59% had psychiatric diagnoses. After adjusting for other crime types and childhood socio-economic status, property crime was independently associated with several diagnoses: antisocial personality (APD), substance use (SUD), psychotic, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. Drug offending was independently associated with APD, SUD, and psychotic disorder, and traffic offenses with APD.

CONCLUSIONS

Youth crime is predominantly associated with antisocial personality and substance use disorders. Crime prevention efforts should focus on boys showing a risk for antisocial and substance use problems. In particular, property, drug, and repeat offenders need mental health and substance use assessment. There is a need to develop integrated mental health and substance use treatment services for young offenders within or alongside the criminal justice system.

Out on the town: an evaluation of brief motivational interventions to address the risks associated with problematic alcohol use

Alcohol has long been identified as a significant contributory factor in crime and anti social behaviour, yet there is a dearth of effective treatment available for those individuals whose drinking contributes significantly to their criminality, and subsequently the health risks and the economic and wider social implications associated with it. The literature on treatment programmes is drawn almost exclusively from medical experience but indicates that brief interventions are at least as effective as more intensive programmes in reducing alcohol consumption in at-risk groups. This research was undertaken to evaluate projects based in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, providing brief motivational interventions to offenders arrested for offences where alcohol is identified as a significant contributory factor. The evaluation indicates that an arrest referral scheme as developed in the West Midlands can achieve good levels of identification and referral, acceptable attendance, retention rates, and effective outcomes in terms of attitude and behaviour change.

Methamphetamine use, self-reported violent crime, and recidivism among offenders in California who abuse substances

This study uses data from 641 state prison parolees in California to examine the associations between methamphetamine use and three measures of criminal behavior: (a) self-reported violent criminal behavior, (b) return to prison for a violent offense, and (c) return to prison for any reason during the first 12 months of parole. Methamphetamine use was significantly predictive of self-reported violent criminal behavior and general recidivism (i.e., a return to custody for any reason). However, methamphetamine use was not significantly predictive of being returned to custody for a violent offense. These trends remained even after controlling for involvement in the drug trade (i.e., sales, distribution, or manufacturing).

Acute effects of alprazolam on risky decision making in humans

RATIONALE

GABA-A receptor ligands, including benzodiapines, may induce disinhibitory effects that increase the probability of risky decision making. To date, few laboratory studies have examined the acute, dose-related effects of benzodiazepines on human risk-taking behavior. Recent data indicate that in the United States alprazolam is the benzodiazepine most frequently misused for recreational purposes.

OBJECTIVES

The present study was designed to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between acute alprazolam administration and human risk taking. Furthermore, this investigation sought to examine: (1) the behavioral mechanisms that may be involved in changes in the probability of risky decision making related to alprazolam administration and (2) risk seeking-related personality variables that may predict drug effects on risk taking.

METHODS

Using a laboratory measure of risk taking designed to address acute drug effects, 16 adults were administered placebo, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg alprazolam in a within-subject repeated-measures design. The risk-taking task presented subjects with a choice between two response options operationally defined as risky and nonrisky. Data analyses examined subjective effects, response rates, distribution of choices between the risky and nonrisky option, trial-by-trial response probabilities, and personality correlates related to drug effects at the 2.0-mg dose.

RESULTS

Alprazolam administration produced dose-related changes in subjective effects, response rates, and, most importantly, dose-dependently increased selection of the risky response option. The 2.0-mg dose increased the probability of making consecutive risky responses following a gain on the risky response option. Increases at 2.0 mg were related to a combination of personality scales that included high venturesomeness and novelty seeking and low harm avoidance.

CONCLUSIONS

Alprazolam administration produced increases in human risk taking under laboratory conditions. In union with previous studies, the observed shift in trial-by-trial response probabilities suggests that sensitivity to consequences (e.g., oversensitivity to recent rewards) may be an important mechanism in the psychopharmacology of risky decision making. Additionally, risk-seeking personality traits may be predictive of acute drug effects on risk-taking behavior.

Adherence to court-ordered disulfiram at fifteen months

Previously, we observed that the presence of a court-mandate doubled adherence to supervised disulfiram treatment over voluntary supervised disulfiram treatment during the initial twelve weeks. To assess persistence, we conducted a naturalistic followup study of adherence at 15 months in 19 voluntary and 17 court-ordered patients from the original groups. Treatment adherence, measured by the percentage of completed disulfiram clinic visits during the study period, was significantly higher in court-ordered subjects: 61.0% vs. 18.2% in the voluntary group (p<.0001). The data suggest that court assistance can exert a significant effect in maintaining adherence. Factors mediating adherence, as well as the effects of adherence on behavior change and abstinence, must be determined through prospective, controlled study.

Alcohol effects on human risk taking

RATIONALE

Despite a well-established relationship between alcohol and risky behavior in the natural environment, laboratory investigations have not reliably shown acute alcohol effects on human risk-taking.

OBJECTIVES

The present study was designed to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between acute alcohol administration and human risk taking. Further, this investigation sought to delineate behavioral mechanisms that may be involved in alcohol-induced changes in the probability of risky behavior.

METHODS

Using a laboratory measure of risk taking designed to address acute drug effects, 16 adults were administered placebo, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g/kg alcohol in a within-subject repeated measures experimental design. The risk-taking task presented subjects with a choice between two response options operationally defined as risky and non-risky. Data analyses examined: breath alcohol level (BAL), subjective effects, response rates, distribution of choices between the risky and non-risky option, and trial-by-trial probabilities of making losing and winning risky responses.

RESULTS

The alcohol administration produced the expected changes in BAL, subjective effects, and response rate. Alcohol dose-dependently increased selection of the risky response option, and at the 0.8 g/kg dose, increased the probability of making consecutive losing risky responses following a gain on the risky response option.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute alcohol administration can produce measurable changes in human risk-taking under laboratory conditions. Shifts in trial-by-trial response probabilities suggest insensitivity to past rewards and more recent losses when intoxicated, an outcome consistent with previous studies. This shift in sensitivity to consequences is a possible mechanism in alcohol-induced changes in risk taking.